Dislocated shoulder - how long to get better ish

[scooby_simon]

all,

dislocated my shoulder on friday night - Doc said it was a nasty one - think "windmill" as I tumbled down the slope.

Anyone have rough idea how long before I can drive? Got an appt with the fractrure clinic tomorrow so would like a rough idea what they will say..

I also assume sailing will be out for a while as most of sailingis pulling bits of rope hard!!!

I also assume I've a fair bit of physio due too.....

[Booster]

How long was it out for?

I am always told to keep it in a sling for a few days.

It will feel weak for a long while I'm afraid mate

Yes, you will have several phsyio appointments. I have an elastic stretchy thing that they gave me to exercise with after it happens.

[scooby_simon]

How long was it out for?

I am always told to keep it in a sling for a few days.

It will feel weak for a long while I'm afraid mate

Yes, you will have several phsyio appointments. I have an elastic stretchy thing that they gave me to exercise with after it happens.

was out for a couple of hours

took a while to get me off the slope and what felt like 1/2 gallon of morphine before it stopped hurting; they then put it back in after about 4 tries (it fell out once in the middle!!!).

[sween]

I have had a couple of shoulder injuries, dislocation and rotator cuff from falling off the race bike, takes an age to get right, talking months. Very easy to have set backs too, when you think its getting better it pops again. Very frustrating. good luck fella.

[Milo]

It can be a nightmare injury. I'm still struggling now and it's looking like I might need an op 18 months after it happened.

I've had loads of physio, exercised using those silly bands, rested it and more recently has cortisone injections. While the cortisone has relieved the pain, it is now grinding and popping and making all sorts of nasty sounds hence I might need an op.

Good luck.

[scooby_simon]

bugga; guess there is no point even thinking about proper racing this winter bugga, double buggal; will report more after hospital tomorrow

[Mook]

Simon, it took me seven months to get my shoulder back to normal after my op - and it wasn't dislocated.

Problem is, if you hurry in to doing stuff, you risk a long term injury, which I came very close to last year.

Take your time, mate - just try not to go insane with not doing any sailing for a while!

[scooby_simon]

Simon, it took me seven months to get my shoulder back to normal after my op - and it wasn't dislocated.

Problem is, if you hurry in to doing stuff, you risk a long term injury, which I came very close to last year.

Take your time, mate - just try not to go insane with not doing any sailing for a while!

Thanks mate;

Idiot I saw today was just regurgating a script; guy on friday said 4 days of hell; then another week or so and you can start to do SOME things; I'll give it 2 weeks before I drive.

[Milo]

It can be a nightmare injury. I'm still struggling now and it's looking like I might need an op 18 months after it happened.

I've had loads of physio, exercised using those silly bands, rested it and more recently has cortisone injections. While the cortisone has relieved the pain, it is now grinding and popping and making all sorts of nasty sounds hence I might need an op.

Good luck.

Well today I learned that I've developed arthritis in the joint now. Lovely.

Next step is an MRI scan to see if there is any soft tissue damage caused by the mess it's in but even if it's clear, I'm going to need an operation to 'shave the bones' which I'm sure will be as nice as it sounds.

I'm sure you'll be fine though Simon..................

[scooby_simon]

Well today I learned that I've developed arthritis in the joint now. Lovely.

Next step is an MRI scan to see if there is any soft tissue damage caused by the mess it's in but even if it's clear, I'm going to need an operation to 'shave the bones' which I'm sure will be as nice as it sounds.

I'm sure you'll be fine though Simon..................

Hope so;

already cancelled any plans for Ski racing this season; No alpine snow for me :-(

Also cancelled plans for Nationals, Europeans and Worlds for sailing this year.

feckin bored as a bored thing at the moment....

[Mook]

Next step is an MRI scan to see if there is any soft tissue damage caused by the mess it's in but even if it's clear, I'm going to need an operation to 'shave the bones' which I'm sure will be as nice as it sounds.

Op isn't that bad - I had it last year on my left shoulder. It's called a sub-acromular decrompression.

Keyhole surgery - you'll end up with holes in each of your deltoids - the front one hurt the most afterwards, because that's what the surgeon used to get the cutting tool in. The other two were used for observation.

As well as the general anaesthetic, you'll get an injection in your neck which is to stop any nerve signals from your shoulder. Wears off after 24 hours.

Hurst like f*ck for two days after the op. I was off work for a week and in a sling for two or three. Driving by week four after the op.

Loads of physio and back to normal within 2-3 months in terms of movement without pain. If you do any exercise that involves weights, you'll be back to normal in six months or so. Fortunately I've got private cover, so I took as much physio as I could - two or three times a week.

All in, although it was really disruptive (it's amazing how much you depend on being able to fully use your arm!), it's not that bad.

Shame I've got to have my right shoulder done in the next few months because I'm now fitter than I was before the first op.

[Milo]

Thanks for that Mook, cheers. It's interesting to get a first hand view of the op.

My problem centres around the AC (acromioclavicular) joint in my left shoulder. In the months before the cortisone injection it behaved a lot like a frozen shoulder - simple things like getting something out my back pocket, putting a shirt on or even reaching across to put a seatbelt on were painful if not impossible. It was treated as a frozen shoulder at first and then as an impingement before they finally settled on arthritis after seeing the x-ray.

After many physio sessions I was given a cortisone injection which almost immediately took away the pain and freed the whole shoulder. However now I'm getting loads of grating, clicking and popping whenever I move my arm, moreso when anywhere from near horizontal to vertical.

How long is it since you had your op and did they give it any lifespan i.e. will the problem re-occur and can you have the op again?

4 weeks off driving is 4 weeks on the sick for me as I need to drive to get from site to site. Gulp.

I said when I hit 40 I'd go into the BUPA plan via work. Unfortunately that's not until later this year and flexible benefits for 2010 have closed now. Bah.

[Mook]

The AC joint issue was the problem I had. Calcification means the bone grows and then puts pressure on the tendons, causing them to swell, pushing the AC joint up, and you're then in a never-ending loop.

I was offered an option of a cortizone injection, but rejected it, as it was only going to mask the problem, not fix it.

I had the op in Feb last year. I do a lot of fitness (including circuits) and it wasn't properly until September of last year that I could return to the same levels of intensity I could before. Having a lack of full movement in your shoulder affects just about everything you do.

There's some wear on one quarter of the humerus (ball joint) in my shoulder, which I've been given the option of having cut away and replaced, but it's much more invasive surgery - the consultant said I should leave it five to ten years and see how I get on.

In terms of the sub-acromular decrompression, yes you can have it again, but you shouldn't normally need to, apparently. I asked if it would re-occur and the consultant's comment was that its very difficult to predict how each person's body is going to react.

As far as recovery from the op goes, as well as the physio and stretching, I also did some (light) shoulder weight routines, using the full range of motion in the shoulder (so six in total) for at least two months.

Get it looked at and get booked in asap if you need to use the NHS. The same person who would do it privately will probably do it on the NHS, as most of them work for both.

HTH

[Milo]

Interesting comment re the cortisone. The specialist I saw last week was a bit displeased that the senior physio had given me a cortisone injection for the exact reason you stated. I've been happily moving my arm about for 2 months now, free of pain when in fact I could be doing more damage to the soft tissues without knowing it. He's told me to try and limit what I'm doing until the scan is done as the injection is masking the body's natural defence mechanism to the problem i.e. pain!

With hindsight, had I been a bit more clued up at the time I would have refused it too but all I wanted was a bit of relief and a good night's sleep. Waking up in pain every time I turned over was starting to take its toll.

[Mook]

That's the problem I've got now with my right shoulder, but, because I know what it's likely to be, I went to the doc's and said what I wanted doing

[Milo]

Well it's taken another 6 weeks but I now know what's happening. The scan came back clear(ish) for soft tissue damage and I then had a wasted visit to one of the consultant's team who hadn't even bothered to read my notes.

I saw the consultant today who said it's severe arthritis. There is no cartilage left in part of the joint and the operation I require is 2 fold - the first bit is the SA decompression which involves shaving the joint surfaces and basically cleaning all the crap out of it. The second part is a bit more daunting, I need 'about 10mm-15mm' cut off the end of my collar bone to relieve the pressure on the joint as the cartilage is non-existent. Oof, didn't see that coming.

The pain is slowly creeping back and it's only going to get worse. Happily ragging about for the last 4-5 months with the false belief everything was fine after the cortisone has probably made things worse. He said there is no point in another injection and it doesn't change the fact the joint is goosed and needs fixing.

Best guesstimates are 12+ months before everything is back to normal and months not weeks off work.

Chances are it's been in the post for years and the fall I had some 20+ months ago simply increased the rate of decline.

Si, I hope yours gets better quickly as this is what can happen

[scooby_simon]

Well it's taken another 6 weeks but I now know what's happening. The scan came back clear(ish) for soft tissue damage and I then had a wasted visit to one of the consultant's team who hadn't even bothered to read my notes.

I saw the consultant today who said it's severe arthritis. There is no cartilage left in part of the joint and the operation I require is 2 fold - the first bit is the SA decompression which involves shaving the joint surfaces and basically cleaning all the crap out of it. The second part is a bit more daunting, I need 'about 10mm-15mm' cut off the end of my collar bone to relieve the pressure on the joint as the cartilage is non-existent. Oof, didn't see that coming.

The pain is slowly creeping back and it's only going to get worse. Happily ragging about for the last 4-5 months with the false belief everything was fine after the cortisone has probably made things worse. He said there is no point in another injection and it doesn't change the fact the joint is goosed and needs fixing.

Best guesstimates are 12+ months before everything is back to normal and months not weeks off work.

Chances are it's been in the post for years and the fall I had some 20+ months ago simply increased the rate of decline.

Si, I hope yours gets better quickly as this is what can happen

Thats a bit poo......

Mine was doing fine; but I think I picked up a bit of a bug earlier in the week and it was hurting like a hurty thing for a few days; bit better now. Still a long way to go

[Mook]

Sounds really sh*t Milo - sorry to hear about that.

the cortisone has probably made things worse

Not the cortisone, all that's doing is acting as an anti-inflammatory.

It sounds like they should have done the x-rays and ultra-sound first, rather than just give you an injection.

I'm now at the stage of thinking hard about asking for a cortisone injection to act as pain relief until June, which is the first sensible time I can afford to have the sub AC decompression. It's driving me nuts not being able to exercise properly and my lack of sleep is making me lose it...

The joy of shoulders!

[Milo]

The cortisone reduced the inflammation and took away the pain hence I've been using the arm when I shouldn't have been really. In the consultant's words, the pain and inflammation are the body's way of stopping you do more damage. By taking them away, I've been merrily grinding the bones together for months now

I saw one of his team 2 months ago and he said I should never have had the injection for that exact reason. I don't think either of them are overly impressed with the physio.

It sounds like they should have done the x-rays and ultra-sound first, rather than just give you an injection.

Nail. Head. Hit. It's been handled all wrong in my opinion. Rather than doing an x-ray and scan way back when which would have highlighted the problem straight away, I've had to go through almost 12 months of referrals, physio and generally being bounced around from one dept to another while no-one really knew what was going on. My guess is it's a money thing - why send everyone to x-ray straight away when you can send them for 20 minutes physio and hope they don't bother you again? However as a result I've probably cost the NHS far more and I now need more extensive surgery.

No use complaining though, just have to get on with it.

So as well as the SA decompression, I also need an ACJ excision now.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous at the long term prospects of being pain free and regaining full range of movement/strength.

[Mook]

Was this all done on the NHS? I'm guessing it was.

Full range of movement long term, yes, but not necessarily the full strength. A year after my op, I've still not got my full strength back in my shoulder (I do circuits twice a week and one day focusing on my shoulders to get them back to how they were).

[Tipex]

Which shoulder Mook? I need to know so I can give you a sturdy hand shake next time I see you, and err, obviously shake the good side...

[Milo]

Yup, NHS. The ironic thing is, this year I hit 40 and was going to join the BUPA scheme offered through work. I've never had health problems in the past but appreciate that from 40, it's all downhill () so thought it would be a good move. I'll never be able to work a claim in on that shoulder now as it'll be classed as a pre-existing condition.

I'm a great believer in the NHS and their staff and when it works correctly, it's superb. However it can also appear to be hideously inefficient at times and 'jobsworths' springs to mind.

My GP couldn't refer direct to the consultant, he had to go via physio. Physio wouldn't see me until they had conducted an over-the-phone assessement to see if I warranted taking up any of their time or could they fob me off with literature. I had to see the physio 5 (?)times (with minimum of 4 weeks in between each visit) before they would accept my saying it was not muscular and something was wrong. Then I had to have a cortisone injection and wait 3 weeks before returning with my then grinding shoulder. Only then could I get an x-ray......

4 weeks later still, I get to see one of the consultant's team who tells me I have arthritis and says I may have damaged the soft tissues as a result of the cortisone - he refers me for a scan. 2 weeks later I get a scan and 2 weeks after that, I go back to see another member of the 'team'. I'll not say what I thought of him. After demanding to see the consultant I get an appointment in, you've guessed, 2 weeks. He takes one look at the file/x-rays and takes 30 seconds moving my arm and basically says "severe arthritis, you're fooked and need an extensive operation".

Phew. Get the picture? Wind things back many months and if someone had listened when I said something felt wrong and had done an x-ray then, I wouldn't be sat here typing this. Instead I would have probably been well on the way to recovery. Ditto had I gone private.

Edited March 11, 2010 by Milo

[Mook]

Which shoulder Mook? I need to know so I can give you a sturdy hand shake next time I see you, and err, obviously shake the good side...

I had the op on my left shoulder last Feb - it's my right shoulder that's fooked now.

Don't worry though, mate, it's not like that - only when I lift stuff at an awkward angle and when I sleep on it wrong.

You shake hands like a girl anyway, so I'd have nothing to worry about even if it was that bad

[Mook]

Phew. Get the picture? Wind things back many months and if someone had listened when I said something felt wrong and had done an x-ray then, I wouldn't be sat here typing this. Instead I would have probably been well on the way to recovery. Ditto had I gone private.

Bloody hell!

I'm lucky to have private insurance through work, which is why I got seen within a week, then had the SA decompression a month later.

It took a good six months of work to get it back to normal and I still can't lift as much as I could 18 months ago without feeling it in that shoulder, but it's a shed load better than it was.

Interesting comment about the age thing - the consultant I saw said although the likelihood is more as you get older, something like this isn't age dependent.

Best of luck sorting it

[Tipex]

I had the op on my left shoulder last Feb - it's my right shoulder that's fooked now.

You shake hands like a girl anyway, so I'd have nothing to worry about even if it was that bad

Both shoulders! Feck, this outdoors lifestyle malarkys no good for you!

And I tune my handshake to it's potential recipient, I must have given you a Duisberg shake by mistake!